I teach high school math, and for years, “review day” was code for “everyone stares at their phone while I beg them to try the practice problems I spent two hours making.” Then I discovered Gimkit, and suddenly the same kids who claimed they “just weren’t math people” were yelling at each other over who could factor a quadratic faster.
These are the exact kits and question styles that turned my classroom into a borderline unsafe volume level, in the best possible way.
1. The “Factor That Mess” Speed Kit (Algebra 1 & 2)
50 questions, all ugly quadratics.
Some factor nicely (x² + 5x + 6), some need GCF first, some are differences of squares disguised with a coefficient, and a few are prime just to keep them humble.
I run this in Classic mode with these power-up prices:
- 2x multiplier: $3,000
- Streak bonus: $600
- Insurance: $1,500
The kids who already know how to factor buy multipliers like drug addicts. The kids who are still shaky end up with insurance on every hard question and slowly figure it out through trial and error. By the end of 25 minutes, even my lowest group is hitting 85% accuracy because they’ve seen every type twenty times.
Real moment: Last year, Malik went from “I literally can’t factor anything” in September to beating the entire class in April because he played this kit voluntarily every Friday during lunch. He still texts me screenshots when he hits a new high score.
2. “Graph This Before Your Neighbor Does” (Geometry & Algebra)
Every question shows a graph on Desmos or a quick sketch and asks for the equation, or gives an equation and asks for a key feature (vertex, intercepts, slope, etc.).
The trick: I include both straightforward ones (y = 2(x-3)² + 1) and absolute monstrosities like piecewise functions with restrictions. The fast kids get cocky, buy the 10x multiplier, then choke on the piecewise and lose everything. Beautiful karma.
I run this in Trust No One mode once per unit. The betrayal screams when someone freezes the kid who was about to drop the correct piecewise are something I’ll take to my grave.
3. Unit Circle Boss Battle (Precalc/Trig)
One giant boss with 400 HP. Every correct answer does damage based on the cash spent.
Questions cycle through:
- Exact values (sin π/12)
- Quadrant signs
- Reference angles
- Converting between degrees and radians
- “Which of these is coterminal with 750°?”
The boss has three phases that get progressively harder. My seniors still talk about the year the final phase was all cofunction identities, and the entire class died at 11 HP remaining. We literally replayed it the next day just for revenge.
4. The Infamous “Solve This or Everyone Loses” Kit
I only pull this out twice a year because it’s emotional terrorism.
Every question is a multi-step equation or inequality. If any team gets it wrong, the entire class loses 10% of their current cash. The collective scream when someone rushes and picks the wrong solution is pure cinema.
I use it right before winter break and spring break with systems of equations. They hate it. They love it. Their accuracy on the final exam systems section went from 68% to 93% the year I started doing this.
5. SAT Math – No Calculator (Digital SAT Practice)
I stole the best questions from College Board releases and threw them into a kit. The exact distribution:
- 8 linear equations
- 6 quadratics
- 4 exponentials
- 3 passports to advanced math (completing the square, function notation, etc.)
I run it in Classic mode every Thursday morning for my juniors. Their average math score jumped 72 points last year. One kid went from 490 to 680 and cried in my room after school because it was the first time he ever felt “good” at math.
6. “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” Style Linear Systems
Four multiple-choice answers, but only one works. The twist: three of the wrong answers are the most common mistakes (switched signs, arithmetic errors, forgetting to multiply both sides).
Kids have to not only solve it correctly but also recognize why the other choices exist. I’ve had entire classes argue for five minutes about whether distribution was done correctly because they remembered picking the wrong answer last time and losing $800,000.
7. The “Error Analysis” Power-Up Kit
Every question shows a worked-out problem with a deliberate mistake somewhere. Students have to identify and fix the error.
Examples:
- Factored x² – 16 as (x-4)(x+4) → forgot difference of squares
- Solved 2(x+3) = 10 and got x = 8 → distribution error
- Graphed y = -2(x+1)² + 3 and put the vertex at (-1, -3)
This kit single-handedly fixed my students’ test corrections. They finally understood that finding your mistake is often harder than doing it right the first time.
8. Statistics & Probability Madness
Questions alternate between:
- Find the mean/median/mode of a data set shown in a dot plot.
- Probability with two-way tables
- Standard deviation interpretation
- “Which graph could represent this situation?”
I run this the day before the state test. The kids who normally zone out during stats suddenly care because there’s a $5 million power-up on the line if they nail the standard deviation question.
Question Writing Rules I Never Break
- Every answer must be plausible. No “x = potato” options.
- Include at least one decimal trap per ten questions (kids love rounding too early).
- Never have two answers that are negatives of each other unless it’s testing that exact concept.
- Always show work in the explanation box — kids read them when they’re wrong and actually learn.
The One Kit I Regret Making
I once made a 200-question kit for a comprehensive final review. Played it once. The game lasted 42 minutes, and half the kids checked out after 30 because the shop became meaningless. Now I never go above 80 questions, recycled multiple times. Smaller kits, higher intensity.
These eight ideas (okay, seven plus one cautionary tale) are what finally made math review feel like an event instead of a chore. My classroom sounds like a casino on test-prep days, and I’m no longer the only one in the building who gets excited about quadratics.
Try factoring one first.
When a kid who’s failed every quiz all year hits a 27-question streak and screams, “I’M HIM,” you’ll understand why I’ll never go back to worksheets.
Math can be fun. Gimkit just proved it to a generation that swore it couldn’t.